Teams have been conducting joint practices in the NFL for years. Joint practices are a way for coaches to create competition and evaluate talent.
Teams in the NFL have been conducting joint practices for years. When teams first began scrimmaging each other, they would conduct joint practices against other teams that were within close proximity. Times have changed however.
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Today, joint practices center around preseason games. Coaches that have a relationship with other coaches will organize two to three days of joint practices prior to the game.
These practices are important for the respective coaching staffs because it is an an opportunity for them to see their team in a competitive environment. Competition and fundamentals are the primary focus when two teams get together. Sure the coaches want to work situations as well, but it’s not really about plays. It’s about technique. Here are five reasons why joint practices are important.
1. Competition: Competition is the name of the game. It’s why you play the game, to compete! Coaches use joint practices as a way to generate competition and to see if their team is willing to compete at a high level. Training camp can be long, boring and arduous.
Competing against another team gives a team a spark and it breaks up the malaise of camp. If a player isn’t willing to compete at a high level, he shouldn’t be playing sports never mind playing in the NFL.
2. Fundamentals: Working on the fundamentals is a big reason why coaches want to conduct joint practices with other teams. Coaches can focus more on individual drills and stress technique. It’s not just drills however. A team can also get some different looks in seven on seven and inside run when they go to group period.
Offenses and defenses are used to getting the same look at practice every day. Now they are getting different formations, personnel groupings, fronts and coverages. Those different looks benefit teams immensely. Good fundamentals are essential to be a successful football team. Joint practices allow coaches to emphasize what’s important.
3. Evaluate Talent: Some coaches will tell you that you can better evaluate talent in practice than in a game. I agree. Joint practices give coaches a chance to evaluate players in different situations. Whether it be one on ones, group period or team period, coaches can focus in on certain players and gauge as to whether or not they can play. How do you think Bill Belichick and his staff figured out Malcolm Butler could play? It wasn’t just preseason games.
4. Practice Situations: You can practice all the fundamentals you want, but at the end of the day, football is still a game. A game predicated on situations. The good teams have perfected the art of practicing situations.
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That’s why teams like the Patriots are so good. Belichick emphasizes situations at practice and works on them all the time. He doesn’t starting focusing on situations once the regular season starts. The Patriots are practicing situations year round, especially during training camp and the preseason.
5. Figure Out Your Team: Joint practices allow coaches to figure out what type of team they have going into the regular season. If a team executes at a high level at these practices and competes, the coaching staff has a better idea of what type of team they’ll have heading into the regular season. If a team struggles in joint practices, it means that the coaching staff needs to get back to work and fix whatever is wrong with the team.
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Joint practices are an invaluable resource for NFL coaches. They offer coaches the opportunity to focus on the fundamentals while at the same time evaluate talent. Gone are the days when NFL coaches refused to practice with other teams. Now joint practices have become the norm and its good for the game.